At the time of writing, Alberta is in the midst of a provincial election, and we at the CBA have released the “Agenda for Justice”. The Agenda for Justice features a collection of backgrounders on issues affecting the justice system in Alberta, including funding for legal aid and the Calgary Drug Treatment Court, and reforms in the family justice system, traffic courts and land titles system. This package includes talking points that members can employ when they are interacting with their local candidates. On behalf of the CBA Alberta and our Executive, I want to pass along my thanks to our members for their efforts in advocating for justice issues during this election period. We look forward to continuing to work with the provincial government to advance the interests of the legal profession and the justice system in Alberta.
We are wrapping up a busy spring at the CBA, which began with our annual Law Day events in April. To date, we have hosted events in six different cities around the province, with a seventh event scheduled on May 30 in Fort McMurray. Members of the CBA Alberta Executive took the opportunity this year to travel the province and visit different events. In addition to Executive attendance at the Edmonton and Calgary events, Jenny McMordie represented the CBA in Red Deer on April 18, and Marian De Souza, QC, attended the event in Medicine Hat on April 25. With the issue of access to justice continuing to be top of mind in our province, it remains very important for our organization to support events such as Law Day, which give members of the public the opportunity to access the justice system in a low-stress and educational environment.
The Alberta Access to Justice Committee was also busy with Law Day events this year. That committee held the third annual Dial-a-Lawyer event in cooperation with Legal Aid Alberta, Pro Bono Law Alberta, Calgary Legal Guidance, the Edmonton Community Legal Centre and the Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta. This event provided legal information in the form of 15 - 20 minute free consultations to members of the public in the areas of civil, family, criminal and immigration law.
The committee also produced two Alberta-specific Legal Health Checks, a spin-off of a similar project completed by the national Access to Justice Committee. Alberta committee members were on site at the Calgary Law Day event handing out the checklists on legal information for renters and landlords, and surveying members of the public on the efficacy of the checklists. The committee is looking forward to producing more of these checklists and distributing them across the province.
Since the fall of 2014, I have been chairing the CBA ReThink Steering Committee. The Re-Think project team is committed to a thorough evaluation of all aspects of our association, the goal being to make the CBA more relevant and valuable to our membership and to the legal profession as a whole. The project team has completed the first stages of consultation, which included telephone interviews with members and non-members alike. Starting in June, members will have additional opportunities to get involved in the consultation process. The Re-Think project will be going on tour across Canada, with in-person workshops being held in Moncton, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. For members residing outside of those locations, a virtual community will be developed, allowing the membership to provide feedback on the same ReThink ideas presented at the in-person workshops. Invitations will be going out to the membership this month from CBA National. Please keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities to contribute. This is a member-centric, grass-roots exercise, and your input is critical to the success of the project.
We will also have the opportunity to engage with CBA members from across the country again in August at the national CBA Legal Conference being held in Calgary. Details of the professional development program have now been released, and the focus will be on three streams - building a better profession, building a better practice, and building a better lawyer. First-rate keynote speakers have been announced, including Michele Westlander-Quaid, Chief Innovation Evangelist for Google, and a decidedly Albertan touch is apparent in the list of networking opportunities, which include the “Meat-Up”, a local restaurant dine-around. This is an excellent opportunity for members to become more engaged in the CBA, to meet members from across the country, and to participate in professional development sessions. I look forward to showing off the strong membership present in Alberta. For more information on the conference, and to register, visit www.cbalegalconference.org.
Finally, it is my great pleasure to congratulate Frank Friesacher on recently being acclaimed Secretary of the CBA Alberta Branch Executive Committee. Frank will move into his new role at the conclusion of the CBA Legal Conference in mid-August. The 2015-16 Executive Committee will consist of Wayne Barkauskas as President, Jeremiah Kowlachuk as Vice-President, Jenny McMordie as Treasurer, Frank Friesacher as Secretary, myself as Past President, and Maureen Armitage as Executive Director.
Steve is the 2014 - 2015 President of the Canadian Bar Association, and a long-time CBA volunteer, having previously been involved as co-founder of the North Pension & Employee Benefits Section, North Section Coordinator, and member of the Court of Appeal of Alberta Centennial Gala organizing committee. Currently, Steve is the Chair of the "Re-Think" Committee. Steve is also General Counsel with Finning (Canada).